Belkin Wireless Pre-N router: a first look

Belkin's Wireless Pre-N router is the first networking device to tout quasi-802.11n performance, but we'll probably see more such overachievers in the coming months. Never heard of 802.11n? This upcoming 108Mbps technology is expected to replace 54Mbps 802.11g as the new high-performance wireless networking standard of choice, but formal IEEE ratification probably won't come until late 2005. In the meantime, Belkin plans to help pave the way with networking devices designed to increase both the throughput and the range of standards-based Wi-Fi gear. The new £119.99 (inc. VAT) Wireless Pre-N router achieves these enhancements with the help of a smart antenna technology called MIMO.

The Belkin Pre-N router supports throughput up to 108Mbps and increased range, courtesy of MIMO (Multiple Input/Multiple Output) antenna technology.

MIMO, which stands for Multiple Input/Multiple Output, uses a single channel for multiple data streams. Belkin claims that MIMO increases both the range and throughput of its Pre-N router by 200 percent over standard Wi-Fi gear, but mileage will vary, depending on the physical environment of your wireless network. Belkin also claims that its new router will be less susceptible to interference and will interact less with neighbouring networks than the channel-bonding products that use the Atheros chipset, such as the D-Link DI-624 and the Netgear WGT624. The Belkin Pre-N router is also Wi-Fi certified for backward compatibility with 802.11b and 802.11g devices, which means you can use it with off-the-shelf Wi-Fi gear from other makers.

Although Belkin guarantees the Pre-N router's backward compatibility, forward compatibility with the future true 802.11n products is another matter. There's really no telling now exactly what technological nuances we'll find under 802.11n's surface or whether MIMO will even end up in the final IEEE specification. In other words, there's a fair chance you'll lose the performance enhancements of Belkin's new router when you use it with 802.11n gear, once the specification is ratified. Also, in order to take full advantage of the enhanced speed and range, you must use one of Belkin's Pre-N adapters to connect to the router -- the Notebook Network Card (a PC Card) and the Desktop PCI Card cost £69.99 (inc. VAT) each.

MIMO may become the technology that brings us 802.11n in the coming months, or it may be upstaged by a competing solution and land on the scrapheap of promising technologies. Time will tell.

Today, 802.11g equipment will serve most homes and offices adequately, but as the number of wireless networks increases, interference between adjacent networks will result. If MIMO indeed boosts range and throughput by 200 percent, however, Belkin's Pre-N router will be a great alternative to existing 802.11g products. This is especially true if you're planning a network in what you know is a noisy area with a number of neighbouring networks or other sources of interference.

Story URL: http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/networking/0,1000000696,39165600,00.htm

Belkin's Wireless Pre-N router offers enhanced range and throughput in advance of the upcoming 802.11n standard. However, it could be rendered obsolete when the specification is finally ratified.